CHELSEA face the unthinkable possibility of missing out on the top four as their London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham pile on the pressure.
Thomas Tuchel’s men were thumped 4-1 at home by Brentford at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
Chelsea could be caught by their London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Credit: Getty
Spurs have won their last three Premier League games including a 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle on Sunday Credit: Getty
Arsenal are closing the gap to Chelsea in third and can move two points behind with a win over Crystal Palace on Monday Credit: Getty And 24 hours later Tottenham hammered Newcastle 5-1 to move within five points of the Blues.
Arsenal take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday night and a victory will take them just two points behind Chelsea.
Tuchel’s side were top of the Premier League table until they lost to West Ham on December 4.
But now they face a fight just to secure Champions League football after losing pace with the top two Man City and Liverpool.
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Bayern’s Kai Havertz REVENGE, Brentford SHOCK reaction – takeover latest There are still some standout fixtures to be played – none more so than when Arsenal travel to Chelsea on April 20.
By then, the Gunners could have already leapfrogged their West London rivals.
And Spurs will also feel they can catch Chelsea as Tuchel’s side still need face a number of tough fixtures.
These include travelling to Manchester United and relegation-threatened Everton – while also hosting European chasing West Ham.
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The Premier League table heading into the final stages
Top four race Here are the remaining Premier League fixtures for Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham
Chelsea: Southampton (A), Arsenal (H), West Ham (H), Everton (A), Wolves (H), Man Utd (A), Watford (H), Leeds (A)
Arsenal: Crystal Palace (A), Brighton (H), Southampton (A), Chelsea (A), Man Utd (H), West Ham (A), Leeds (H), Newcastle (A), Everton (H), Tottenham (A)
Tottenham: Aston Villa (A), Brighton (H), Brentford (A), Leicester (H), Liverpool (A), Burnley (H), Norwich (A), Arsenal (H)
If they fail to win any of those then Conte could jump ahead of his former side in the top four race.
And the North London derby is also yet to be rescheduled – with Spurs preparing to host Arsenal before the end of the season.
A win there and they could not only be eyeing up fourth but perhaps even third.
Chelsea also have to contend with still being in the Champions League – something which is not a concern of Arsenal or Spurs.
The Blues host Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, before jetting off to Spain for the return fixture next week.
The last thing Tuchel will want is to be worrying about their league position while they try to defend their European crown.
But Arsenal and Tottenham are picking up speed quickly, so Chelsea need to improve. And fast.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
